Reaper Mine: A Reaper Novel (31 page)

“No men at all?” Christian looked around at the bevy of beautiful woman. “What a pity.”

The other Reapers, and Trackers started to back off, Victor held his ground. He wasn’t moving until he spoke to Elle again.

Tabitha glared at him where she and Elle spoke, Helena stood at his side. “What are you going to do?”

“I’m going to get Elle out of here.” Victor held his ground with his arms crossed over his chest.

“She doesn’t look like she wants to talk to you or leave,” Helena said.

“I don’t care what she wants, Helena.” Victor swore.

Helena swore too and grabbed him, turning him until he was forced to turn and look at her. “You may have to listen to her. Why are you being such an ass? Can’t you maybe admit you were wrong?”

Victor had no problem admitting he was wrong. But, he needed to get Elle in front of him to do it. And she was with the Bitch. The gods only knew what Tabitha was spewing at her. Helena looked fit to be tied about the entire situation. “Regardless of whether I’m going to admit if I am wrong or not, speaking to her again face to face would be paramount don’t you agree?” he asked pointing to where Elle still stood with the Bitch.

“I agree, but standing here being a disagreeable ass is going to get you absolutely nowhere.” Helena added. “How about you agree to listen to what the Daughters of Eve have to offer.”

Victor wanted to swear and scream but if it would get him alone with Elle then he would agree to anything. “Fine, I will listen to what they have to offer.”

Someone snorted behind him, and he turned to Tabitha. “It would be more like what you have to offer my team, because from where I stand you have nothing we want nor need and my sisters and I can do this without you. And as for the Sons of Adam? They can have their seat on the Tribunal, it’s not something the Daughters of Eve are concerned with.”

Victor wanted to throttle the woman. “Remove Aldon, but still offer the Reapers up to them on a silver platter?”

Tabitha shrugged. “I think you and yours can take care of yourselves. It’s not my concern.”

“What?” Elle asked. “What are you talking about?”

Victor smiled as Tabitha’s smug smile slipped from her face. “Ah so you didn’t tell her your part did you? You gave up all my secrets but failed to give her this one?”

Elle glared at Tabitha “What is he talking about Tabitha? Why is everyone keeping things from me?”

“It’s nothing, it isn’t an issue since the Daughters of Eve aren’t pursuing a seat on the Tribunal.” She said with that smug smile back in place.

“But she isn’t a Daughter of Eve, Tabitha,” Victor pointed out.

“Not yet, anyway,” Helena said. “Or not until this is all said and done. Then you really won’t have a reason not to be.”

Elle sighed. “I’m not going to become a Daughter of Eve, Helena.”

“What’s stopping you, Elle?” Helena shouted. “These woman have been so kind to you, took you in, and sheltered you. Now they are taking care of the pesky Aldon issue. You will be beholden to them.” Helena glared at Tabitha, and the other Daughters of Eve.

Victor had to give it to the woman, if anyone hated Tabitha more than him, it was Helena.

Elle just shook her head. “I’m not going to join the Daughters of Eve, Helena.”

Helena glared at Tabitha and the other Daughters. “We’ll talk later,” she said.

“Let’s get back to what we were talking about, Reapers on a silver platter? Tabitha?” Elle turned to the bitch and Victor almost wanted to clap his hands together. Tabitha crossed her arms over her chest.

“What about them?” she demanded.

“Yes, but the Sons of Adam and Aldon,” Elle said, and turned to Victor. “Tell me exactly what is going on.”

Victor would be more than happy to. “Aldon and the members of the Sons of Adam are attempting to gain a seat on the Tribunal.” Elle nodded. "The Tribunal has offered a seat to any Other who isn't already a card carrying member if they can kill a Reaper."

Elle sucked in a breath. “But you have to be immortal to have a seat on the Tribunal.”

She turned and glared at Tabitha. “Is this the price you mentioned earlier?”

Tabitha nodded. “You don’t have the means to kill a Reaper?” Elle asked.

“No one has the means to kill a Reaper,” Tabitha explained.

Victor shook his head. "Don't speak too soon. Your buddy, Aldon, has a dagger we have been looking for. It's called the Black Dagger. Created by one of the first Reapers named Calliope, and who was recently destroyed by Marcus. Aldon has the Dagger. It can kill a Reaper. If he gets his greasy paws on Elle, he'll have the means to create immortal heirs for the Sons of Adam. To make those Freaks immortal. And the Tribunal? If they get their hands on Elle, the gods only know what they plan on doing with her. They could make Gods from the Immortals they have on the Tribunal! Or build an army of un-killable demi-gods." Really, the sky was the limit, if you thought about it. Victor looked at Elle, realizing who and what she was. She was a God unto herself, and didn't even realize it. It was part of why he loved her so much.

Tabitha and Elle both looked at him with their mouths hanging open in shock, Elle recovered first. “You need to go back to the Infernos and stay there.” She rushed over to him and pushed him in the chest, her eyes swimming with tears. “Victor, he can kill you, please go back to the Infernos now.”

Victor couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Have you lost your mind, woman?” He had just been thinking how amazing she was. And now she was trying to get rid of him? What the hell?

“It was bad enough when I thought he could hurt you, but now I know he can actually kill you. Wipe you out of existence, I feel like I’ve been kicked in the chest and I can’t breathe.” And she was indeed taking short little gasps.

Victor wrapped his arms around her. “Elle he isn’t going to hurt me, nor is he going to get his hands on you. I am going to kill the bastard for terrorizing you, and I’m going to take the Dagger and destroy the bloody thing.”

Elle looked at him like he was crazy again. “And just how the hell do you plan on doing that? If I remember correctly the last several times you have gone up against the bastard we have lost. And not lost like ha-ha he got the better of us but holy shit, he killed me twice and I barely got away with my life the last time.” Victor pulled her head down onto his shoulder. “Elle, trust me I won’t let him hurt you again.”

Tabitha snorted. “Really? You and what army?”

Victor glared at her. “Look, I want to kick your ass. But I’m going to refrain. Can we please work together? We apparently want the same damn thing.”

“I don’t think so,” Tabitha said without even thinking about it.

He was going to kill her, that was all there was to it. “We could do good things together, Tabitha. We could stop this from getting out of control.”

“See you see it that way. What I see is being left out of the plans and shipped around the planet like a sack of potatoes,” Tabitha spat out obviously still upset about her and Elle’s treatment from a couple of weeks ago.

Elle pulled away from Victor and looked at her friend. “Tabitha, stop being such a bitch. I know you like this power trip and all but pull your head out of your ass. You can use the man power and you know it.”

Tabitha just glared at Elle. Victor wanted to laugh, but he steeled his features. He wouldn’t laugh, no matter how hard he wanted to. At least, until he was alone with Elle. Then he was going to laugh his ass off.

“I need to sleep on it.” Tabitha started to stalk off, but stopped at the edge of the clearing. “Are you coming back with me?” she turned and asked Elle.

Elle looked from Helena to Victor, and back to Tabitha who threw her hands into the air. “There are guest quarters that are warded, just be careful.” And the woman stalked off.

Finally Helena took her sister into her arms and hugged her. But just as quickly Helena pushed her away. “I’m still mad at you.”

Helena slapped her on the shoulder. “I did what I had to do to make you strong enough to survive.”

Elle had tears in her eyes. “Really? Because from where I was, it felt like you fed me to the wolves. And turned on me.”

Helena had a sad look in her eyes. “Elle, I’m sorry but I couldn’t help you. I had to pull back. I was being watched. I didn’t want to give away any information about where you might be or who was with you.”

“I know that now, but it still hurt.” She hadn’t moved from Victor’s side and Victor could see the hurt in Helena’s eyes. It was going to take time. Years and years of feeling abandoned. It wasn’t going to go away with one conversation.

“Let’s get back to the others. And figure out what’s going on.” Victor took Elle’s hand and headed back to where they had left the vehicles. Just glad for the moment Elle was giving him the chance.

****

It was much later when Elle and Victor finally found a room. Elle had wondered if she should find a room of her own. But Victor hadn’t let her so much as leave his side all evening. And when everyone had gone to find a bed he had pulled her along to a room in the large dormitory.

The room was large but still only had one small dresser. One night stand, and a twin bed. Victor groaned when he saw the bed.

“They don’t have very many men your size come to visit.” Elle giggled burrowing her head into his shoulder

“We’ll make it work,” Victor whispered. His voice had dropped to that deep growly whisper she dreamed about. As he dragged his mouth across her cheek. Not exactly kissing her, just tasting her. Until he reached her ear, she felt his moist tongue dart into her ear. “Gods I’ve missed your taste. Do you know how much I’ve missed you?”

She wanted to answer, she really did. But her mouth had forgotten how to work. His hands were tickling up and down her sides and she just wanted him to surround her. She wanted him to be everywhere at once. And when she finally found her voice the only word that came out was his name, and it was moaned, broken and hard.

Victor chuckled against her throat. “I feel exactly the same way.”

He pulled away and Elle nearly shrieked. He was pulling her shirt over her head and came back just as quickly, his heat enveloping her. Elle bunched up his shirt and he pulled it over his head, at some point he had disposed of her bra and when they came chest to chest she nearly orgasmed from the sheer pleasure of the heavenly contact.

Elle’s head fell back as she rubbed her chest against his, anchoring her hands on his broad shoulders. “Victor, it feels so good.”

“Yes, Elle,” he moaned dragging opened mouthed kisses along her throat and collar bone.

Then he was cupping one breast, his mouth closing around the nipple. She felt weak, and was panting for breath. “Don’t stop,” she begged. His rough tongue abraded the nipple until she wanted to scream with pleasure only to move onto the other one. He gave the second nipple the same treatment. Elle clutched at his shoulders her legs totally useless.

Victor swept her into his arms and carried her to the bed. He lay her down and kneeled on the floor he placed opened mouthed kisses between her breasts. “You’re so beautiful.”

Elle leveled herself up on shaky elbows and smiled at him.

Over the last couple of weeks she worried she would never see him again. “What happened to you, Victor?” She had to know. Had she done something wrong? Needed to have this closure before they could move forward.

Something flashed in his dark eyes and he moved so he was pressing his forehead against hers. “I’m sorry I had to leave and I couldn’t come back immediately.” He kissed her nose. “Please know it was nothing you did that kept me away.”

“Then why?” His non answers weren’t good enough.

“Dante was not satisfied with the job I was doing. And thought I had become too close to you,” he said honestly, and the look he gave her broke her heart. “I was punished.”

Elle couldn’t breathe for a moment. “You were punished?” She felt like the words were torn from her.

“Yes,” Victor said honestly.

“You were punished for being too close to me?”

“Yes.”

Elle wanted to curl into a ball and cry. “How were you punished?” Gods please don’t answer that question.

“I was whipped, it is the standard punishment.” Victor didn’t even flinch.

If he hadn’t been laying on top of her she would have toppled over with shock. “Your father whipped you because you care for me?”

“Elle.”

She pushed at him but he didn’t move. “Get off of me, Victor.”

He still didn’t move. “Elle, I would take that punishment and more,” he whispered. She fought him but he didn’t budge. Her breathing grew ragged as she desperately tried to move out from beneath him. Victor fought against her, whispering gently to her the entire time. Nonsense words, which eventually comforted her. And she stopped fighting him, she lay there as tears welled up, Victor holding her close.

Elle felt the tears well up and start to fall, but still Victor didn’t move. He lay there his forehead pressed against her as she cried. Cried for the pain he had to have gone through because he cared for her. She wiped at her tears but he didn’t move and she couldn’t actually get out from beneath him.